1. Technical Field
The invention relates to vacuum cleaners. Particularly, the invention relates to cyclonic separators for vacuum cleaners. Even more particularly, the invention relates to a cyclonic dirt cup assembly having a generally conical truncated cone which directs a dirt-laden airstream in a cyclonic manner within a dirt cup to separate dirt particles from a stream of dirt-laden air.
2. Background Information
It is well known in the art of vacuum cleaners to use cyclonic action to separate particles from a stream of air. Typically, in these vacuum cleaners, a stream of dirt-laden air is directed tangentially into a container or dirt cup either within or around the outside of a generally cone-shaped member. The tangential input of the dirt-laden air creates a cyclonic action within the dirt cup which is maintained by the cone-shaped member. The cyclonic action within the dirt cup allows the larger dirt particles to fall from the airstream due to the force of gravity. Because many of the smaller dirt particles are not filtered from the airstream by the cyclonic action, vacuum cleaners having cyclonic separators will typically include a final filter, such as a filter bag or filter cassette, to filter these smaller dirt particles from the dirt-laden airstream before the airstream is exhausted into the atmosphere.
Although these prior art vacuum cleaners using cyclonic action within a dirt cup to separate dirt particles from an airstream are adequate for the purpose for which they are intended, it may be inconvenient or undesirable to input the dirt-laden airstream into the cyclonic separator tangentially. Additionally, even those vacuum cleaners which do input the air tangentially may not create a sufficient cyclonic action within the dirt cup to adequately separate the dirt particles from the dirt-laden air stream. Further, herertofore, many manipulatable vacuum cleaners having cyclonic separators have been relatively expensive and have required rather intricate elaborate ducting arrangements to create the cyclonic action.
Therefore, the need exists for a cyclonic dirt cup assembly which is inexpensive, which allows the dirt-laden airstream to be input into the dirt cup at various angles, and which creates and maintains sufficient cyclonic action within the dirt cup to provide adequate dirt and air separation.